Monday, November 24, 2008

During the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas many old memories are revived and new ones made based upon the smells and flavors of family recipes and dishes. The smell of baked bread and apple pie bring back euphoric recall of Grandma’s kitchen. Some of the recipes I have developed myself as a chef over the years and then tried out on friends and family have also formed cherished memories. Many of these cherished dishes are from the bakery and pantry. Indeed if I had to pick an area of expertise for either of my grandmothers or my mother it would be in the area of sweets, salads and side dishes. The center piece of any holiday meal should be the protein right? A golden roasted work of art, succulent in its caramelization and juices. How many true master pieces have we really experienced over the years if we stop to think about it? Aren’t most of our memories of the Thanksgiving turkey those of longing anticipation as we relish the roasting aromas of browning poultry, only at long last to be disappointed by dry meat that crumbles as it is sliced? The pork roast that, while tasty, lacks that certain something that would make it worthy of being the star of the meal? I have assembled some basic techniques that will make a huge difference in the star quality of your holiday protein. These are not at all complex, just good solid science and classical methodology that may just allow you to cook some roasts worthy of cherished memory status.

Don’t over cook! This is the number one mistake, especially with poultry. We are so concerned with food safety (as well we should be) that we ere on the side of incineration. Perfect poultry should be cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees. Never use the pop up thermometers that come in supermarket turkeys. They are normally set to “pop” at 175-180 which is a good 10-15 degree to the “bad” side of perfection. Remember that large roasts will “carry over” cook once removed from the oven and the internal temperature will continue to rise. A 20 pound turkey will continue to cook another 10 degrees once removed from the oven so I usually pull it at around 155 leaving the thermometer in while it rests (removing it while the roast is piping hot just creates a hole for juices to squirt out of). Pork roasts are done at 145 degrees. Beef roasts are medium rare at 132-135 and medium at 140. These temperatures are for naturally tender cuts that are roasted to temp. For pot roasts and such where a fork tender product is the goal, cook temperatures will be higher.

Rest first. All roasts must rest 15-30 minutes before carving. A 20 pound turkey should rest at least 45 minutes. Try covering with foil as they rest to retain moisture and heat. I know you’ve waited all day and you’re hungry so start early enough to allow for this step! Carving meat while piping hot allows all of the natural juices to run out onto the carving board instead of staying in the meat. This simple rule makes a huge difference.

Keep the door closed. For a crisp crusty exterior and a moist interior it is important to keep the heat in the oven, thus a closed door. Constant fiddling, basting and checking will adversely affect the final product. Basting in fact, while promotinga flavorful crust, does nothing for the moistness of the final product. More will be gained for the exterior by leaving the door closed, so basting is a no win proposition. An additional tool that is helpful for this and will also help with keeping proper internal cook temperatures is a remote probe oven thermometer. You will insert the thermometer probe into your roast at the beginning of the cooking process and it connects to the actual thermometer via a remote cable. This allows you to constantly monitor the internal temperature of your roast without ever opening the door. Many of these are available for between $15 and $40, like the Taylor remote thermometer http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-Digital-Oven-Thermometer-Timer/dp/B00004XSC5

Trying any or all of these techniques should make a noticeable difference in your roasts. The principles of utilizing proper internal cooking temperatures, resting, and leaving the door closed are universal and work with any type of roast. Brining is a no go for beef and lamb, however brining is an excellent technique for any poultry type, pork, veal and many types of game work well too. I have included a couple of brine recipes below as well as a step by step recipe to brining then roasting.

Basic Brine for Poultry, Game or Pork(Will accommodate up to a 12 pound roast for larger size roasts modify to 1 ½ gallon or 2 gallon)

Choose desired brine and mix according to recipe in a container large enough to hold brine and roast without overflowing. Submerge thawed roast completely in brine.

(A stock pot will work for the smaller batches and will usually fit on the bottom shelf of your fridge. For larger roasts and turkeys requiring a 2 gallon or larger brine, a clean five gallon bucket is usually required. This may present a problem fitting in most home refrigerators. A solution is to situate the bucket in a large cooler surrounded by ice and water then place brine and roast in bucket. You must carefully monitor the water temperature of the brine during this process making sure that it stays at 40 degrees or colder to ensure food safety You may need to add extra ice through the process to maintain temp)

After 12-24 hours remove roast from brine and drain well. You may wish to blot exterior dry and rub with a light coating of oil to promote browning. Season as desired but utilize salt very lightly.

Roast in hot oven. Start cooking at 450 degrees for the first 20 minutes then reduce heat to 325 for the remainder of cook time. Roast until desired internal temperature is achieved. Do not open oven excessively during roasting. Allow roast to rest for 20-30 minutes depending upon size.

Additional notes for brining. If stuffing a bird or pork roast, do not use salt or salted bouillon or broth in the stuffing recipe. The salt from the brined bird will infuse into the stuffing. Actually the stuffing will draw some of the salt from the roast reducing its effectiveness. For best results you may wish to prepare stuffing in a separate pan. If using the pan drippings for gravy you will want to use low or no sodium broth to extend the drippings. If using water do not add additional salt.

Pick and sort the dried beans and discard any debris.Put beans in a large pot and cover with water.Let stand 8 hours or overnight. The next day, drain beansand add fresh water (1/2 gal.), salt and chicken base.You should add a leftover ham bone here if there is one.Simmer 60 minutes or until beans are tender.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Approximately 215,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer in the U.S. each year – over 100,000 women and nearly 115,000 men. This means an American is diagnosed with lung cancer every 2.5 minutes. (1)

Lung cancer kills more than 160,000 people annually – more people than breast, colon and prostate cancers combined.( 1)

Lung cancer is responsible for more than 29% of all cancer-related deaths every year. (1)

Smoking is the primary cause of lung cancer. Approximately 87 percent of lung cancer cases occur in people who are currently smoking or have previously smoked. (2)

Although the risk of developing lung cancer goes down with smoking cessation, a significant risk remains for 20 years or longer after quitting. (2, 3)

Approximately 50 percent of all lung cancers (106,500) occur in people who have already quit smoking. (4)

Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and the leading cause of lung cancer among never-smokers. (5)

More people who have never smoked die from lung cancer than do people from AIDS or liver cancer or ovarian cancer. (6, 7)

Risk factors for lung cancer other than those from smoking include lung scarring from tuberculosis, and occupational or environmental exposures to radon, second-hand smoke, radiation, asbestos, air pollution, arsenic and some organic chemicals. (1)

Only 16 percent of lung cancer patients are diagnosed before their disease has spread to other parts of their bodies, (e.g., regional lymph nodes and beyond), compared to more than 50 percent of breast cancer patients, and 90 percent of prostate cancer patients. (1, 8)

Men’s mortality (death) rates from lung cancer began declining more than 20 years ago, while women’s lung cancer mortality rates have been rising for decades and just recently began to stabilize. (9)

African Americans experience the highest incidence of lung cancer, and the highest death rate.(10)

Roughly 84 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer die within five years of their diagnosis, compared to 11 percent of breast cancer and less than 1 percent of prostate cancer patients. (1)

Less money is spent on lung cancer research than on research on other cancers. In 2006, the National Cancer Institute estimated it spent only it spent only $1,638 per lung cancer death compared to $13,519 per breast cancer death, $11,298 per prostate cancer death, and $4,588 per colorectal cancer. (1, 11)

How Can I Reduce My Risk?

If you smoke, get the help you need to quit (state quitlines can be accessed at www.naquitline.org or by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW).

If you live in an area with high levels of radon coming from the bedrock (see www.epa.gov/radon), consider having your house tested for radon exposure. If radon levels are too high, a device can be installed to reduce them.

Eat a well-balanced diet and exercise. These activities help reduce the risk of all cancers.

If you smoke now or smoked in the past, or have a family history of lung cancer, consider speaking to your doctor about screening tests that may be available to you. Cancer is most treatable when it is detected early.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Red Cross together with Pitney Bowes is launching its Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign Tuesday, allowing people to send their cards with a message of thanks and cheer.

The two organizations will screen cards for hazardous materials, sort and package the cards, and deliver them to military bases and hospitals, veteran's hospitals, and other locations during the holidays.

Greetings must be received by December tenth to insure delivery by Christmas.

About Me

I have three extremely cute kids-Andrew is 14,
Carley is 12 and Laura is 9. My husband, Alton, is a delivery driver by day with dreams of one day publishing his own comic book. Yes, he is a geek, but I love him anyway. I have been working at WBFJ since September 2004 when God threw me out of the boat I was riding in and set me on a new and wonderful course. I love co-hosting the morning show, although the lack of sleep does make me a bit loopy at times.